Reckless driving in Indiana adds 6 points to your license and typically raises insurance rates 70–90% for three years. Here's what to expect, which carriers still write coverage, and how to accelerate your rate recovery.
How Reckless Driving Affects Your Insurance Rates in Indiana
A reckless driving conviction in Indiana adds 6 points to your driving record and typically increases your car insurance premium by 70–90% depending on your carrier and prior history. If you were paying $140/month before the conviction, expect your rate to jump to $240–265/month. That rate increase stays in effect for approximately three years — the period most carriers use to evaluate your risk profile after a major violation.
Indiana does not require SR-22 insurance filing for a standalone reckless driving conviction. SR-22 is triggered by license suspension, DUI, driving without insurance, or accumulating 18 or more points within 24 months. Since reckless driving alone puts you at 6 points, you're not facing a compliance filing requirement unless you've had multiple violations or your license was suspended as part of the sentence. This distinction matters because SR-22 filing adds its own administrative costs and limits your carrier options even further.
The rate increase you see depends heavily on which carrier you're with when the conviction hits. Standard carriers like State Farm or Allstate often impose steeper surcharges for major violations, while non-standard carriers that specialize in drivers with points — like The General, Dairyland, or National General — price reckless driving into their base models and often deliver lower post-violation premiums. The difference between staying with your current carrier and switching to a non-standard carrier can be $50–100/month for the same coverage. Indiana SR-22 requirements drivers with points on their license
Indiana's Point System and When Reckless Driving Comes Off Your Record
Indiana assigns 6 points for reckless driving, which is one of the highest point values for a non-DUI moving violation in the state. Other common violations for comparison: speeding 16+ mph over the limit adds 6 points, speeding 1–15 mph over adds 2 points, and an at-fault accident adds 3 points. Your license is suspended if you accumulate 18 points within 24 months, so a reckless driving conviction alone won't trigger suspension unless you pick up additional violations.
Points from a reckless driving conviction remain on your Indiana driving record for two years from the date of conviction. After two years, the points drop off your BMV record — but that doesn't mean your insurance rate immediately returns to normal. Most carriers look back three years when calculating your premium, which means they'll continue to apply a surcharge for the reckless driving conviction even after the points are no longer active on your state record. Expect your rate to begin normalizing around the three-year mark from the conviction date, assuming no new violations occur.
You can check your current point total and violation history by ordering a driving record from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. The BMV offers online ordering for a $12 certified abstract. Knowing exactly what's on your record before shopping for insurance helps you avoid surprises and gives you accurate information to provide when requesting quotes.
Which Carriers Write Coverage After Reckless Driving in Indiana
Not all carriers treat reckless driving the same way. Standard carriers — the ones that advertise heavily and write clean-record drivers — often impose maximum surcharges or decline to renew your policy at all after a major violation. Non-standard carriers, by contrast, are built to write drivers with points, violations, and at-fault accidents, and they price reckless driving as part of their underwriting model rather than as an outlier event.
Carriers commonly available in Indiana that specialize in post-violation coverage include The General, Dairyland, National General, Acceptance Insurance, and Bristol West. These carriers typically offer lower premiums for drivers with recent violations than standard carriers do, but coverage options may be more limited — expect higher liability limits and comprehensive/collision coverage to be available, but not always accident forgiveness or vanishing deductibles. Progressive and GEICO also write non-standard policies in Indiana and may offer competitive rates depending on your full profile.
Shopping at least three carriers after a reckless driving conviction is the single highest-leverage action you can take to reduce your cost. Rate variation for the same driver with the same violation can exceed $100/month between carriers. Many drivers stay with their current carrier out of inertia or brand loyalty, but standard carriers have no incentive to offer you a competitive rate once you have a major violation on record — they'd often prefer you leave voluntarily. Non-standard carriers, by contrast, compete aggressively for your business and price violations more granularly based on time since conviction and overall driving history. non-standard auto insurance
Actions That Speed Up Rate Recovery After Reckless Driving
Indiana allows drivers to reduce their point total by completing a state-approved defensive driving course, but the reduction is capped at 4 points once every three years, and it only applies to points currently on your record. Taking the course after a reckless driving conviction can bring your point total from 6 down to 2, which may help you avoid suspension if you pick up additional violations, but it won't erase the conviction itself from your record or immediately lower your insurance premium. Some carriers offer a small discount for completing defensive driving, but the primary value is point reduction, not rate relief.
Maintaining continuous coverage without any lapses is critical. A coverage gap — even a few days — after a major violation signals heightened risk to insurers and can trigger a lapse surcharge on top of your existing violation surcharge. Indiana does not require SR-22 for reckless driving alone, but if your license is suspended for any reason and you need SR-22 to reinstate, a prior lapse can make finding a carrier willing to file significantly harder and more expensive.
Re-shop your insurance every six months for the first three years after your conviction. As time passes and the violation ages, different carriers become competitive at different points. A carrier that offers the best rate six months post-conviction may not be the cheapest option 18 months later. Many drivers lock in with one carrier and assume they're stuck — but non-standard carrier pricing is fluid, and loyalty is not rewarded in this market. Set a calendar reminder every six months to pull three new quotes and compare them against your current premium.
What Happens If You Accumulate More Points While Reckless Driving Is on Your Record
If you pick up another violation while the reckless driving conviction is still on your record, your situation changes quickly. Indiana suspends your license if you hit 18 points within 24 months. Since reckless driving already puts you at 6 points (or 2 points if you completed defensive driving), a second major violation — another 6-point speeding ticket, a second reckless driving charge, or even a 4-point violation like improper passing — can push you to or past the suspension threshold.
Once your license is suspended, SR-22 insurance filing becomes mandatory to reinstate your driving privileges. Indiana requires SR-22 for the length of the suspension period plus three years from the date of reinstatement in most cases. SR-22 is not a type of insurance — it's a certificate your carrier files with the BMV proving you carry at least state minimum liability coverage. Not all carriers offer SR-22 filing, and those that do charge higher premiums because they're insuring a driver the state has classified as high-risk.
If you're approaching the 18-point threshold or already have multiple violations stacking up, your priority shifts from rate shopping to avoiding suspension. That means driving cautiously, setting speed alerts, and considering whether you need to adjust your commute or driving habits to reduce exposure. Once you're in SR-22 territory, your insurance costs and carrier options narrow significantly — prevention is far cheaper than remediation at that stage.
Indiana-Specific Rules You Need to Know
Indiana law defines reckless driving under IC 9-21-8-52 as operating a vehicle "in plain, conscious, and unjustifiable disregard of harm that might result" and with "perceptible indifference to the consequences." It's a Class C misdemeanor punishable by up to 60 days in jail and a fine up to $500, though jail time is rare for first offenses. Courts may also suspend your license as part of the sentence, which is separate from the BMV's point-based suspension process — and a court-ordered suspension typically requires SR-23 or SR-22 filing to reinstate.
Indiana does not automatically suspend your license for reckless driving unless it's part of the court sentence or you've accumulated 18 points. This is different from some states that impose administrative suspensions for certain violations regardless of point total. If your license is suspended by the court, you'll need to serve the suspension period, pay a reinstatement fee (typically $250–$290 depending on the specifics), and provide proof of insurance or SR-22 if required before the BMV will reinstate your driving privileges.
State minimum liability coverage in Indiana is 25/50/25 — $25,000 per person for bodily injury, $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, and $25,000 for property damage. After a reckless driving conviction, you're legally allowed to carry state minimums, but if you're financing or leasing your vehicle, your lender will require comprehensive and collision coverage regardless of your driving record. Even if you own your car outright, consider whether minimum liability limits are sufficient — a second at-fault accident while you're already rated for reckless driving can result in non-renewal and severely limited carrier options.